Dutch royalty—KingWillem-Alexander, Queen Maxima, Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Sports Minister Edith Schippers—turned out to witness Kramer's display. KingWillem-Alexander talked about what it meant and the impact Kramer had on his country, per the Associated Press, via NBC:

"What can you say? We could never have hoped for such a great result," the king, himself a keen speed skater, said. "That Sven was able to deliver despite such pressure, it leaves me speechless. What can you say, such a great Olympic record."

The Chicago Tribune's Jared S. Hopkins added that his win was quite historic:

Sven Kramer set a new Olympic record time and earned his second straight Olympic Gold in the 5,000, 4 first time since 84\84

For Russia, Denis Yuskov and reigning bronze-medalist Ivan Skobre both seemed destined for the podium. That is, until the final few pairings, where JorritBergsma and Jan Blokhuijsen posted their times.

Jonathan Kuck was the USA's best chance to post a respectable finish, but running against the likes of Kramer showed the disparity, and he wound up in 19th place.

With two more competitions to go, Kramer will be looking to pull off a hat trick of gold medals. As impressive as the Dutch were in capturing all three medals in the 5,000 meters, it was even more captivating to witness how far ahead Kramer was of his peers.

As challenging as it may be to view this action live in the U.S., Kramer is worth the effort to tune in. Blink, or doze for a wink of sleep, and you just might miss him.